Clothes-wringer mechanism



Oct. 16, 192s.

G. L .'HEDGEs l CLOTHES WRIHGER `MENGHANISI Filed Oct. 18, 1925 nuca/How; Gsmzss L.

Hnn sns,

Guam,

lllllllllllllllll/ Patented Oct. 116, 1928.

.Y AUNI-TEDr rS'fAfIES PATENTOFFICL i enoitennnniiens, or OLEvi'iLANnOHIo, AssIGNoiimo THE r.- A. GIEB COHPANY,

- or CLEVELAND, OHIO, A cORronATioN Oromo.

OLTHEsWRINGEn MECHANISM.

Appiication inea october is, 1923, seriaiivo. 663,264, ma premiada Auguit 31, 192s.

My invention relates to improvements in f clothes Wringer mechanism and has foritsobject the'provisioii of means for adjusting' the pressure of the Wringer rolls andl for in stantly releasing such pressure. l Secondarily," my object contemplates the associationfxvith suitable pressure mechanism of extremely simple' means or mechanism not liable to get out of order, Which shall'accomplish the results above indicated. l v

My improvements, as applied to a poweroperated Wringeriiiechanism embodying-fur-v ther features of my-invention not specifically claimed herein, comprise a bowed Vleaf spring through which the pressure maybe applied to the bearings of the upper roll, With which spring is associated va cam and its `co-acting pressure member forming, in effect, 4a tilting pressure-transmitting appliance affording a plurality ot,A positions for effecting' variable spring pressure, ranging from zero to a max-if mum pressure; said tilting appliance lbeing 'so designed as to effect the instantaneous release of pressure ini any'position-of the-.actuating members. In the embodiment shown the cam is positioned in the mid-upper porf .ventioni I ,EFig. 2 is an irregular'vertical section and end elevation, indicated by line'f2-2, Fig.A l,

' "Fig. 3is a fragmentary sectional vievv illustratingl the positions of lthe cam and tilting pressure-transmitting member When the latter is released and tion ofthetvrin'ger frame and is rotatable approximately through 9001101" shifting from one position to another; against this cam a pivoted member, forming/therewith a readily releasable "connectionfand disposed lin overvveighted positionV upon thespring', is adaptedto bear against a flattened face in each of three actuating positions.

The structural*featuresof my Ypresent invention, together with theY advantages rand operation thereof, may bestf-be explained making reference to the accompanying draw? ings, wherein: vy Y 'Figure l is a vievv in front elevation, partially broken away and in section, illustrating a power-actuated Wringei' embodying this inthe' upper 1,'011v freed from pressure, and' Fig. 4 is a similar vieivof these parts with y Ement of the actuatinglevers'and -carn `memdrawings have employed thesame charac-f for lthe Wringer; preferably cast from 'aluminium. The lower roll b is stationarily Journaled intermediately ofthe two legs of the wframe, power' being appliedy thereto through thev I clutch"v member c, sectionally shown at the' right.v The upper roll d rests upon the lower roll-l ZJ,`but'it is freelyymovable vertically unless pressure is applied throu'gh'jy the-*stiff leaf springe 'which bridges the terminal Woodenbearing members (Z, A yoke e' is positioned at the bowed portion of'said-spr'ing e-'and serves to pivot the overweighted ymember `f thereon. This pressure: member, as best shoivnin .Fig.`1,com`prises the overweighting horizontal arm f', lateral'pivots f, up-

right curved portion f3, a substantially recper and ylower levers g, k'ateach side ofthe frame.' This vcam preferably has l three slightly flattened eng'aginvfaces, 5'-, if and i?,

disposed at increasing raial'distances from .the Vaxis of` the actuating ymember' and Tsubstantially -at fromfone' another. 'HOW- ever, it is not essentialthat: these fia-ttcned faces shall beprovided, inasmuchas the cam i'iormally will remainl in. anyvadjustedfposition, Within limits, regardless of 'suchflattened contour or its eliminatiim.A 1

v'It Will Vbeobserved that opposing .pairs of f ribs a and aare provided interiorlyfof the frame a adjacent tothe pressure-transinitting i member and respectively-in `position to beengaged by the extended pivots ff, t-he'coacting. Vribs a and a forming a vertical slide wherein'the pivot is'freely movable and thereby dee and springr e in their vertical movement.

-fining the position v of the member f,the yoke' The lugs f5 form limiting stops for the toggle member f and its overweighting arm f, as Y indicated in Figsl and 2. l Y

'As viewed in F 1,' the tensioning move' sure or toggle member f, While thereverse r0- cumstances the upper roll merely rests upon the lower roll with,itso,wn weight orvitimay be forced freely toward the upper part oi the frame by any, article or membery enteringy between the .wringenrolls,A This insures the essential-safety of the wringer mechanism by 'permitting instant release of the roll pressure. l

Referring to ,Figi4 3 which shows a Zero pressure pesition ot the cam, it is seenrthatg.`

rotation thereofv willfplace an initial vtension upon the spring by reasonotthe engagement y oicani. face, i withthebearfing face filas shown inmFig.L 4, when*rotated90.O from. its zero pressure position. Similarly, the-iur,- therV- rotationoithercamnthrougli a arc will engage-the face z" withthe angularly extendedbearing-face f? ofi the` pressurevti'anemitting membert-wliich position is not speciiicallyshown in the drawings),thereby placing the intermediate tension upon"A the spring, or the, continued rotation of the cam inA counter-clockwise direction through.: anotherV 9509 are will bring-it;4 tothe position ShQWnin Fis, l, Whchinsufes @maximum tensionandrollipressure.- f

Upon consideringthe relation ofgthe piyoted or tilting membery withl its coacting rotatable cam positioned immediately. above its pivotal mounting, but, restrained from any movement toward 'theright byi reasonv or"$ the engagement otlugs f5 with a the abutments a3 prQVCled laterally, upon lthe frame, it willbe seen atonce that the counter-clockwise,movementiy otl the cam-,from itsjzero pressure positionthrough 270o must,-continue to place 1ncreasing pressure uponithe spring. Onthe other hand, since the tilting member is free to ,move v.toward-'theleft, any clockwise rotation ofsaidlcamwilliserve to vbreak 'what in effect is a tog-glejointaction by turningf-lthe bearing face #from beneath s aidcam, thereby causing the disengagement of the members and the instantreleaseof the sprin-g. The curvedsection;C3 ofthe pressure-transmitting member adapts 'the angular extremity of said member to enter rearwardly of the `cam for assuming the position ot Fig. 3, whereby pressure, may, be again applied; This mechanism3 is not necessarily limited to clothes wringers. In its particular` use, however, if theclotheslbetwfeen the rolls become'bunched, if buttons are liable to bey torn oil', or if the hand ory iingersof the user shall accidentally beengagedbetween the rolls, their pressure maybe instantly released, andv any damage averted. c

Having now Vdescribed the apparatusl embodying my invention and the objects and ad- Under theses, cir-.V

Leef/e4 Y vantages attainable thereby, I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent the iollowing:

l.Y The combination'with anelementadapted to be placed-under tens-ion, oi' a tensioning spring operatively associated with' .said element, an overweighted pressure transmitting memberpivotally .mounted to .coaet with' said spring, a detent for said member positioned to limittheipiyotal motion of thepivoted member to positionthe same inpressure eX,-

erting position, anda rotatable cam actingon` atensioning springvconnected to one of. the

rolls, aI translatable overweighted pressure member piyotally mounted to coactwitlisaid spring,a detent tor said member positioned to limit the motionvoif the pivoted member .to position. the same in pressure exertingposition, and ai rotatable cam actingonsaid pressure member andhavinga releasing` position Y,and a `plurality of atuatingpositions for relieving the pressure oli-,said member-Vandtliereby said spring. and wringerl rolls: and subjecting the lmember and thereby the spring and .rolls to ,varying rconditions of; pressure. j f y 3.In a: clothes wringer,thencombination with-paired wringen rolls, one roll-being adjustable toward and; from theV other, oil, a springoperative upon oneoisaid rolls, ay pivotedlmember located adj acentl said ,spring and coacting-Y therewith al detent restraining. the i member-frommovement in one direction, and anoperatingfrotatable cam actingonsaidpivoted member andprovided.with` a variable eny gaging face and an inoperative recess tor, applying pressure to the pivotedmember upon .one directionalmovement ofthe cannand relieving the pressure upon the opposite V d-irectionalmovement ot thecam, causing the pivotedmember to enter the recessotthecam.

4. Thecombination o-a springLa piyoted member locatede adjacent to y the:Y spring-fand 1 i operative thereupon, anda lcani having a ,dis-

engaging faceand a plurality of e,ngagginggV faces Iof -dierentfradii rpositionedf tor-bear upon andvdepress said rpivoted memberI when rotated in ,one direction for app'lyingpressure to thespring, said disengagingfface of-the cam adapted to rock saidjpivotedmember out 'of operative positionwhenjthe cam isfrotated in the opposite direction for relieving the pressure on the spring. y

5. In a i wringerv mechanism, A the zcombination withA opposingl wringer rollshone of which is mounted y for movementtoward and from the other, ofia bowed spring mounted/to i react terminally upon said movably mounted roll for effecting its resilient engagement with a rocking movement to the pivoted member' for releasing the pressure on the spring when the cam is moved in another direction.`

6. In a clothes Wringer of the class de scribed the combination with a pairotl wringer rolls, one of Which is movably mounted with respect to the other, of pressure apply'- ing means for said movable roll, including a bowed spring mounted to react terminallyk thereon, a pivoted member mounted intermediately of the spring and operative thereupon to exert pressure thereon, a laterally positioned detentin the path of movement of said member positioned to limit the motion vof the pivoted member to pressure exerting position, and ya cam having a plurality of individual operative faces adapted alternatively to be brought into the cam is rotated in one direction for apply*- ving pressure to the spring, said cam'having a' recessed portion for engaging the pivoted member when the cam is rotated inthe opposite direction and allowing the pivoted member to'be rocked for relieving the pressure on the spring. Y

7. Thecombination of a spring, a pivoted member mounted adjacent to the spring and! operative thereupon, a laterally positioned detent therefor positioned to limit the pivotal motion of the pivoted member to position the same in pressure exerting position, a cam having va plurality of individual operative faces of varyingl radial position, for engaging the pivoted member and applying pressure to lthe spring Whenthe cam is rotated in one direction, and means on the cam for causing the pivoted member to be moved for relieving the pressure on the spring when the cam is movedvin theopposite direction. Y

, In testimony whereof I do now affix my sig-` nature.

GEORGE L. HEDGES.

engagement with the pivoted member when i 

